BuggBlog

Unsettling the mood

So I'm sitting in my periodontist's office this morning, reading a magazine and doing my best to compartmentalize the knowledge of what awaited me in my immediate future, when I realized that the soft classical music playing over the waiting room sound system was actually a selection from a movie soundtrack.

Darth Vadar's theme, to be specific.

As they say, it was all downhill from there. As the anesthesia begins to fade, I'm getting ready to head to my shelf of unfinished pain prescriptions for a little put-me-down. Until that kicks in, I'll just amuse myself with repeated viewings of this:

I particularly enjoy the part where, after she's excused her behavior by saying she had to stop and say hello to the 8-year-old before diving into the safety of her car, the video shows she actually went on to great a gaggle of 7th graders.

Leadership in action.

A renaissance of fair

The Washington Post reports today from Indiana, where the political mechanics of the state -- next door to Obama's Illinois stronghold, but a political apparatus aligned with the Clinton machine -- make for a close race. Writes Anne E. Kornblut:

Something unusual appears to be developing in the Democratic presidential race in this state: a fair fight.

What on earth does that mean? That primaries in states where demographics are favorable to one candidate or the other are unfair? That voters who pay attention and weigh their options early in the process are being unfair compared to those undecided voters who tune in during the final moments? That a state only counts if the press gets to write breathless "too close to call" stories? That the previous primaries and caucuses that put Barack Obama in the lead were somehow unfair to Hillary Clinton?

Honestly, I've written stuff like this before for the magazine: A lead that just sounds so good you miss the fact that it's fundamentally senseless. Usually a fellow editor or writer saves me from myself. Too bad someone at the Post didn't do that for Kornblut here.

Hillary's diplomatic (mis)adventures

The funniest thing of late to come out of the interminable Democratic campaign:

Having a campaign aide explain that what Clinton was actually talking about was "fire in the hillside around the area" is a particularly nice touch.

By this standard, I could claim that my flights into National Airport during 1996 were harrowing experiences due to all the gun violence in Southeast D.C. -- I just ran with my head down till I dove into a cab, then threw myself to the sticky floor and prayed I'd make it home safely.

Why is this still going on, again?